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'Making you her adviser was just a way to get you onto the set,' Rik answered. 'Still, I suppose you're right. Gail and Brent are going to a tango show tonight with Carla and me. Why don't you come along with us? You can talk to Gail there.'

'OK,' I said. 'And one more thing. I need some transport of my own. This is a big city and I need to be mobile if I'm going to protect Gail.'

Rik thought for a moment. 'We can hire a car for you,' he said.

'A motorbike would be better,' I replied. 'It will be much quicker in heavy traffic'

'I'll see what I can do,' Rik said.

I spent the afternoon on the movie set. I watched Brent and Gail acting the same scene again and again. Movie schedules are made up of short periods of hard work, followed by hours of standing and waiting. But no one tried to kill Gail. No one tried to sell her any photographs. Gail didn't need the gun. Arabella and Annie didn't attack me. No statues moved. I was bored.

When shooting ended for the day, Gail came over to me.

'I've got to talk to you,' she said, looking around to see if anyone was listening.

'Not here,' I said. 'There are too many people here. How about tonight at the tango show?'

She stared at me. 'How did you know about that? Our visit to the tango show was meant to be a secret.'

I laughed. 'I'm a detective!' I said.

CHAPTER TEN

Tango!

Just before ten o'clock that night, I was sitting on a shiny Harley-Davidson motorbike, parked by the sidewalk opposite the Alvear Palace Hotel. Rik had hired this stunning machine for me to use while we were in B.A. To match the Harley-Davidson, I was wearing a black suit with a blue tie and a white silk scarf, and a blue crash helmet.

I watched the doors of the hotel carefully. At ten o'clock, Carla and Brent came out. A few moments later, they were followed by Gail who was wearing a long green dress. The three of them stood together on the sidewalk.

Suddenly, a black limousine stopped beside them, and I saw Rik in the front of the car, next to the driver. Carla, Brent and Gail got into the back of the limo, which drove off down Avenida Alvear. I waited until it was a hundred metres ahead of me, then I moved the Harley-Davidson out into the traffic behind it.

After a short time, the limo turned on to the wide street called Avenida 9 de Julio, driving towards the La Boca district. I followed, but I stayed a hundred metres behind it. From that position, I soon noticed a red Ford, which was driving about sixty metres behind the limo.

'It's just a coincidence,' I thought. But when we left the Avenida 9 de Julio and started to travel through much smaller streets, the red Ford stayed in the same position. By the time we reached the narrow alleys of the La Boca district, it was obvious that the Ford was either following the limo, or that the people in it were going to the same tango show.

The limo stopped in a dark street, outside what looked like a large private house. The four passengers got out of the car and went into the house. The limo drove away. I slowed down and watched the red Ford. It parked fifty metres away from the large house and two young men got out. They were wearing smart suits, and they had short hair. They walked quickly along the street and went into the house. I locked the motorbike and walked up to the red Ford. There was a copy of the Buenos Aires Herald on the back seat. That's interesting,' I thought. 'An English language newspaper. Perhaps the men are just tourists.'

I went into the house. A waiter led me into a restaurant with long tables and a stage at one end. I joined Rik, Carla and the movie stars at one of the tables.

For a couple of hours, we ate. It was an excellent meal, and then - at midnight - the dancing started. The show was great! It was loud, exciting, and very lively. But there was something sad about the music. After an hour, I had discovered that at an Argentine tango show you only watch the performance - you don't have to dance yourself. I was pleased about that!

But I was sitting next to Gail who wasn't pleased about it. 'I want to dance too,' she said.

'You can't,' I replied. 'These are professional dancers who have spent their lives dancing the tango. They don't want an American amateur joining in.'

'I'll show you,' Gail said, standing up quickly.

A dance was just finishing, and before I could stop her, Gail had jumped up onto the stage. I called one of the male dancers over to our table, and I spoke to him briefly in Spanish-He nodded and smiled. Then he went back to the stage, and when the music began again, he started to dance with Gail.

She was fantastic! Gail danced the tango as if she had been born in Buenos Aires. We watched her in great surprise. So did the two young men in suits, who were sitting at another table!

At the end of the dance, the other dancers applauded Gail while she walked back to our table. When she sat down, her face was bright with excitement.

'I'm an American amateur, am I, mister?' she said. 'And what did you say to that dancer?'

I thought for a moment. Then I told a lie. I wanted Gail to be happy. 'I said that you were a famous American dancer,' I replied. 'I said that he would enjoy dancing with you.' In fact, I'd told him that Gail couldn't dance the tango, but that it was her birthday and she wanted to celebrate.

Soon, Brent, Carla and Rik went to the bar. Gail and I were alone.

'You said you wanted to talk to me, Gail,' I said quietly.

'I suppose I should thank you for saving my life at the cemetery,' Gail said. 'Everything happened so quickly this morning. If you hadn't been there, that stone ball would have killed me.'

I nodded. 'Perhaps. You were very brave,' I said. 'Have you had any more messages?'

Gail shook her head. 'No,' she said. 'Do you think that the person who has the photos is trying to kill me?'

'I don't know,' I replied. 'But I don't think so. Whoever has the photos - he wants you alive, so that you can pay for them. But whoever dropped the stone - he wanted you dead!'

Gail opened her handbag. 'Here's the gun,' she said, giving me the package. 'Will you bring it onto the set for me again tomorrow? I feel much safer with it.'

'OK,' I said and I quickly put the envelope in my pocket as I saw Brent, Carla and Rik returning to our table.

'Are you having fun?' Rik asked.

'Sure,' I answered. 'We're just talking about being a Private eye.'

'I don't believe you're a detective at all,' Gail said with a sudden smile. 'Prove it!'

'Right,' I said. 'Do you see that table in the corner, by the door?'

'The table with two men in dark suits sitting at it?' Gail replied.

'Yes, that's it,' I said. 'Those two men followed you here. I'm going outside now. When I've gone, you go over to their table and ask them why they were following you. I think that that will make them leave. And then I'll follow them. I'll find out who they are.'

'OK,' Gail said, 'let's try it!'

I left the tango show and I went and sat on the Harley-Davidson. I put the gun into one of the motorbike's big carriers. My guess was right! Two minutes later, the men in suits came hurrying out of the house and got into the red Ford. The engine started at once, and they drove off as fast as they could along the narrow streets. I followed them carefully.

Soon we were out on the straight, wide Avenida 9 de Julio again, and I had to stay closer to the Ford so that I didn't lose it in the traffic. The Ford increased its speed and so did I.

'They've seen me,' I thought.

Soon we were both travelling at over a hundred and twenty kilometres per hour. It was nearly two o'clock, but there was still a lot of traffic on the streets.

The red Ford moved easily between the slower cars - the driver was very clever. He was very clever, but it was easy for me to follow the Ford on the big motorbike.

I got behind the Ford for a moment, but it accelerated again. It went through a red traffic light, and I followed it. So did a police car! A few moments later, I heard the sound of the police car's siren behind me. Then I saw the flashing light as the police car came alongside me. A policeman in the front or the car shouted at me to stop. So I slowed down and stopped. The red Ford drove on at high speed down the wide avenue.

'Que pasa?' a tall policeman asked me, as we stood by the side of the road.

He told me to get off the motorbike and get into the back of the police car. There was another policeman in the car. He asked me, in Spanish, for some identification. I gave him my passport. He looked at it for a minute. When he spoke again, he spoke in English.

'So,' the policeman said, as he handed my passport back to me, 'you are a visitor to this country. But you think you can break all the traffic laws - speeding, dangerous driving, going through red traffic lights -'

'I can explain, officer,' I began.

'My name is Garcia, Captain Roberto Garcia,' the policeman said.

'Captain Garcia,' I began again. 'I can explain.'

I told the policeman about my job, about the movie, about Gail and about the two men in the red Ford.

'Yes, we saw the men in the red Ford,' the captain said.

'And why did you stop me, and not them?' I asked.

Captain Garcia smiled and shook his head. 'I couldn't stop the car you were following. It had diplomatic licence plates,' he said.

'Diplomatic plates? Which embassy did the car belong to?' I asked, although I was sure I already knew the answer.

'The United States of America, senior,' Captain Garcia replied.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Misunderstandings and Messages

I sat in the back of the police car on the Avenida 9 de Julio and waited for Captain Garcia to charge me. I waited for him to charge me with speeding, dangerous driving, and going through red traffic lights. But he didn't charge me. Instead, he took out a notebook and wrote something in it. Then he tore out the page he had written on.

'I believe your story,' the captain said, 'but you must obey our traffic laws. I'm not going to charge you this time. But if we catch you riding your motorbike dangerously again, you'll be in serious trouble.'

I nodded.

'And one more thing,' the captain said with a smile. 'Here's my phone number.' He passed me the piece of paper from his notebook. 'If I can help you in any way, call me.'

'Muchas gracias,' I said.

I got out of the police car and onto the motorbike. As I rode away - very slowly - on the Harley-Davidson, I thought that I had been very lucky. What would the captain have done if he had searched the motorbike and had found Gail's gun?

At seven-thirty the next morning, I was back at the Recoleta Cemetery. I was standing by the gate with the Argentine security chief, watching everyone being searched. I had already seen Rik and told him about the chase the night before and about my meeting with the Buenos Aires police. I didn't tell him about the gun.

A line of technicians and actors was waiting to be searched. It was quite cold and the people in the line were becoming impatient. Because of the problem of the day before all the security guards were very careful and the search was taking a long time. I saw Annie and Arabella near the front of the line and I waved to them. I was trying to be friendly.

'Why aren't you being searched?' Arabella shouted to me. I smiled and shook my head. But when it was Arabella's turn to be searched, she refused. There was an argument with one of the Argentine security guards. Minutes went by and the other people in the line were becoming more and more impatient. The security guard called for help on his radio, and Rik came running across to the gate.

'Hey, what's all this?' Rik asked Arabella. 'You know the rules - everyone's got to be searched.'

'I know that,' Arabella replied. 'I don't mind being searched - but only after they've searched this guy.' She pointed at me. 'He hasn't been searched - he's just standing and watching.'

Now everyone was looking at me. I called to Rik and he came to speak to me. 'There's something I've got to tell you, Rik,' I said, very quietly.

'Not now, Len,' Rik replied. 'Get over to the front of the line and let them search you. We must start shooting on time today.'

'Rik, there's been a misunderstanding -' I said.

'Come on!' Arabella shouted. 'What's the matter? Have you got something to hide?'

I didn't move.

'If he won't let the guards search him, we'll search him ourselves,' Annie said. And before I could do anything, she and Arabella ran over and started to search my clothes. They didn't find anything in my jacket or trousers.

Then Arabella said, 'Take off your boots.'

Very, very slowly, I took off my boots. Annie picked them up, turned them upside down, and shook them. The package with Gail's gun in it fell out of my left boot. Annie grabbed the envelope, tore it open and held the gun in the air.

'I knew that there was something wrong about that guy,' Arabella said.

Rik took the gun. He was very angry.

'Samuel,' he shouted, 'you're fired! Go back to your hotel and wait for me there!'

He turned to Annie and Arabella. 'Well done! Now let's get on with the search so we can start shooting.'

I turned and walked away. I got onto the Harley-Davidson and drove it slowly back to the hotel. I waited for Rik in reception. I felt terrible. I had been a fool. Why had I agreed to take Gail's gun onto the set for her? It was a stupid thing to do!

An hour later, Rik came into the reception area of the Bisonte Palace.

'Why did you do it, Len?' he said, shaking his head. 'Why were you carrying a gun? You knew we would search everyone today.'

'It's Gail's gun,' I explained. 'I was bringing it onto the set for her. She's frightened.'

'Well, you were stupid!' Rik said. 'You can't stay here any longer. You'll have to go back to L.A. Wait there for instructions from me. We've only got three more days here, before we move on to Turkey. I'll try to find a way for you to join us in Istanbul. It's very important that nothing bad happens to Gail.'

Rik thought for a minute. 'Hey! I've got an idea. I know how we can get you onto the set in Istanbul. You can be one of the extras!'

'But people will recognize me,' I said.

'No they won't,' Rik said. 'Not after the make-up artists have finished working on you!'

Rik made some phone calls and booked me a flight to L.A. on American Airlines. The flight was leaving that afternoon. I packed my case, wrote a note for Gail which I left at the Alvear Palace, and returned the Harley-Davidson to Rik. Then I took a cab to Ezeiza Airport.

I checked in and went to sit on the high balcony overlooking the airline desks. I bought a coffee and I thought again about what had been happening. Who had sent Gail the messages about the photographs of her with a gangster? Who had injured Josie and tried to kill Gail? And how was the US Embassy involved? I didn't have answers to any of these questions.

Before I went to the plane, I made three phone calls. One was to Captain Garcia. I explained that I had to leave Argentina, but I didn't explain why. I told him I was worried about Gail. He replied that there wasn't much he could do when she was on the set. But he said he would arrange for her to be guarded for the rest of the time.

My second phone call was to L.A. I called an old friend called Toni Trenton. She was a journalist on the L.A. Messenger. She wrote about crime and criminals. Years ago, I had been in love with Toni, but that wasn't why I called her. I asked Toni to find out all she could about three people - Gail Lane, Mike Devine and Vincent Calab.

My third call was to myself. I called my answerphone in L.A. to find out if there were any messages for me. There was only one. I listened to it. It was brief. 'Samuel,' the voice said. 'You've got to help me. I'm in desperate trouble. Please call me on 818-558-5898.'

I recognized the voice. It was Mike Devine.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Lunch and Information

When I got back to L.A., it was late evening. I was very tired. I went straight to my apartment and I went to bed.

The next morning, I was up early and went for a run in the park. I was still tired, but I felt better after a shower and a good breakfast. I got into the Chrysler and drove downtown to my office.

I stopped at Crazy Ellen's for a coffee and a chat with Costas.

'Have you been away, Len?' Costas asked.

I told him where I'd been.

'Some people have been looking for you,' Costas said. They said they knew you often came in here.'

I drank my coffee slowly. 'It's nice to be popular!' I thought.

'Can you remember what these people looked like?' I asked.

Costas has a very good memory - he is proud of it.

'Well,' he said, wiping the bar with a cloth, 'the first visit was yesterday morning. Two heavies came in here. They were real big guys, in their twenties, with mean faces. Real tough guys. They weren't police. I think they were carrying guns. They said they wanted to see you about a bet.'

'That's strange,' I thought. But I'd been involved in a case about a missing racehorse a few weeks before. Some bad guys had been making illegal bets. Perhaps the heavies' visit was connected with that.

'And the second visit?' I asked Costas.

'Also yesterday, in the afternoon,' he said. 'A young guy, about twenty-five, although he had grey hair. He looked rich. But he seemed really worried.'

'Mike Devine,' I thought. I finished my coffee.

'Many thanks, Costas.' I said.

I left Crazy Ellen's and went to my office. There had obviously been some visitors there while I had been away. They had emptied all the drawers of my desk and my filing cabinet onto the floor. That was OK. I never keep anything important at the office because people come and search it while I'm away! I picked up some of the papers and put them back in the filing cabinet. Then I sat down at my desk and I called Mike Devine. His answerphone took the call, and I left a message - Mike was probably still asleep.

After that I called Toni Trenton and arranged to meet her for lunch. She said she'd already got some information for me. We arranged to meet at Pastroudi's Italian restaurant at one o' clock. I spent the rest of the morning tidying my office and calling Mike Devine. But Mike didn't pick up his phone - his answerphone took the calls again.

I walked to Pastroudi's - it wasn't far from the office. I was sitting at my favourite table by the window when Toni came in. She had blue eyes, short dark hair and a warm smile. She was wearing a smart blue trouser suit. She looked great. I almost fell in love again!

Then I remembered why we had broken up. It had been nearly fifteen years before. Toni had said I had to choose between her and boxing. She didn't like to see me being knocked about. I had chosen boxing and she now had a successful career as a crime reporter on the L.A. Messenger.

Toni kissed me on the cheek and we spent five minutes talking about what we had both been doing. I told her about Gail and Argentina. She told me about crime in L.A. Then we ordered our food.

'Right, Lenny,' Toni said when the waiter had gone. 'You asked me about three people. Do you want to hear about them?'

I smiled and nodded.

'OK. First, Mike Devine,' Toni said. 'He was the easiest -there's so much written about him in the papers. He's a play-boy. He goes out partying most nights. He's only interested in pleasure.'

'And he has lots of money,' I added.

Toni looked at me. 'Not any longer,' she said. 'At least, that's what people are saying. His father got tired of paying Mike's debts, and told him to stop partying and get a job. Mike didn't listen, so old Joel Devine stopped giving him money.'

'So where does Mike Devine get his money now?' I asked.

'He's been borrowing lots of money - from banks, from people he knows, from everywhere. That's what people are saying. Now he's head over heels in debt,' Toni replied. 'Now, do you want to hear about Gail Lane next?'

'Yes, please,' I said as the waiter brought our food. Toni had seafood and rice, and I had lobster.

Toni ate her lunch and told me Gail's story.

'Gail's interesting,' she said. 'You know about her friendship with Mike Devine, of course. I think that he's been borrowing money from her too. That's one thing. You'd think that it would be easy for me to find out lots of other things about a movie star. But it wasn't easy! Nobody knows much about her. Gail became a star quite recently. Before that, she certainly spent time with gangsters. I'll tell you more about that in a minute. But some people say that recently she's also been involved with a US Senator - Senator Theo Z. Democrates.'

I knew about Senator Democrates. He was from a Greek family. He was single - he had never married. And he was one of the most powerful men in the government. He was the chairman of an important government committee. He was also multimillionaire.

'Mmm, that's interesting,' I said. 'Democrates is an honest man, but he has a reputation for ruthlessness. And a lot of ruthless people work for him.'

I ate my lobster thoughtfully. Some things were beginning to become clear.

'Vincent Calab was the third name,' Toni said, 'and I expect you know a lot about him already. He's a ruthless man too! He's a gangster from Chicago who moved here ten years ago and got involved with the movie industry. People say that he has been laundering money. They say he invests illegal money - stolen money - in movies. When the movies make a profit, he gets his money back, and then the money is legal. Lots of criminals do that kind of thing. Hollywood could be a good place to do money-laundering. Making movies takes a lot of money.'

'Yeah, I see what you mean,' I said.

'Calab's an unpleasant man,' Toni went on. 'He's a madman. He's very violent. He kills anyone who works against him. But the police have never been able to charge him with any crime. He's really very dangerous, because he isn't quite sane. Some people call him Mad Vince. I hope you're not getting involved with him, Lenny.'

'No,' I replied. 'But I think Gail Lane was innocently involved with him some years ago.'

'Yes,' Toni said. 'I heard about that too. Stay away from Calab, Lenny. He's a very bad guy.'

I didn't reply. I was thinking about the 'visitors' who had searched my office. I thought they were the two heavies that Costas had told me about. And I also thought they might be Calab's men. Perhaps I was involved with him, whether I liked it or not.

We finished eating. I thanked Toni for her help and asked if I could borrow her mobile phone. I dialled Mike Devine's number and this time I got a reply.

'Come to the apartment, will you!" Mike said. 'I need your help.'

Toni and I sat and talked for a little while longer. Then, as usual, we argued over who was going to pay for the meal. As usual, Toni won the argument. She was still sitting at the table when I left Pastroudi's. She was lovely. Perhaps I had made a mistake when I chose boxing, I thought. A big mistake!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Miss Sullivan and Mr X

I took a cab to 9002, Hollywood Boulevard. The doorman with the moustache recognized me, and he called Mike Devine to tell him I was on my way up to Apartment 501. Mike was waiting by the elevator and led me into his living-room. He looked tired and worried.

'What can I do for you, Mike?' I asked as I sat on a white sofa.

'Why didn't you call me back before?' Mike Devine asked angrily.

I smiled. 'Firstly, because I was in Argentina. And secondly, because I'm still waiting for you to pay me two hundred and fifty dollars,' I replied.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I forget about that,' Mike said and took out a chequebook. He quickly wrote a cheque and gave it to me.

'Is this a good cheque?' I asked, waving it in the air. 'Will your bank pay me the money?'

'Of course it's a good cheque!' Mike said angrily. 'What do you mean, Samuel? What do you know?'

'You told me you were in big trouble. And I heard a story that it was money trouble,' I said. 'So I wondered if there was any money in your bank to pay this cheque.'

Mike Devine put his hands over his face. 'You're right,' he said in a dull voice. 'I'm broke - I haven't got a cent. But that's not all. I'm in worse trouble than that.'

'Do you want to tell me about it?' I asked and I sat back on the sofa.

Mike began to speak. It was a long story, and Toni Trenton had told me some of it already. Mike had borrowed money from everyone he knew. Then, a week before, he had had a visitor.

'It was the day after you brought me home from the Purple Palace,' Mike explained. 'In the afternoon, the doorman called to say there was a woman to see me. A woman called Miss Mary Sullivan. I didn't recognize the name, but I have a lot of friends -' He waved his hand in the air. 'Anyway, the woman came up here and I asked her what she wanted.'

'What did she look like?' I asked.

'Mid-thirties, nice clothes, short brown hair. She talked in a very polite and formal way,' Mike replied. 'But what she said really frightened me.

'She said that she represented a powerful person,' he went on. 'She called this person Mr X - she wouldn't give me his real name. She said that Mr X had bought most of my debts. He had paid the people I had borrowed money from, so now I owed the money to him. Over eight hundred thousand dollars, she said.'

'Wow!' I said, 'that's a lot of money.'

'And Mr X wanted his money now, the woman told me,' Mike continued. 'I explained that I couldn't pay. Even this apartment is owned by my father. Then Miss Sullivan said that there was another way for me to pay off the debt. I had to leave L.A. at once and promise never to see Gail Lane again. If I kept my promise for a year, Mr X would forget about the debt.'

'And what did you say?' I asked.

'What could I say?' Mike Devine replied. 'I agreed to go Miss Sullivan gave me seventy-two hours to leave L.A.'

'But you're still here, Mike,' I said.

Mike Devine started to cry. 'Yes, I can't go. I can't live without Gail. I love her, even if she doesn't love me. And all my friends are here in L.A. I don't know where to go.'

'Have you heard from Miss Sullivan again?' I asked.

'Yes, the day before yesterday,' Mike replied. 'That's why I called you. She told me that I had broken our agreement by not leaving. I asked for more time and she gave me until tomorrow morning. She said that I had to call her tomorrow evening, from somewhere a long way from L.A.'

'Did she say what would happen if you didn't leave LA?' I asked.

'Yes, she said that I had cheated people and told lies to get money from them. She said I would go to prison.' Mike Devine stopped. Then after a while he spoke again, slowly and sadly. 'All my life I've had everything I've wanted,' he said. 'If I went to prison, I would have nothing. My father won't help me. He says that prison would be good for me. But he's wrong! I would die if I went to prison. You've got to help me, Samuel. What can I do?'

I smiled. 'Well I don't have eight hundred thousand dollars to lend you,' I said. 'My advice is to do what Mr X wants.'

'But I'm broke. I don't have any money at all. I can't afford to stay anywhere,' Mike replied.

'Well, I've got a cabin up in the hills, at a place called Crystal Lake,' I said. 'It's a long way from L.A. I suggest you go there now and do what Miss Sullivan told you to do. Call her tomorrow evening and give her the number of the cabin. She will call you back. Then she'll know that you've really left L.A. And I'll try to find out who Mary Sullivan is, and who her boss, Mr X, is. Give me her phone number.'

Mike gave me the number, and I told him how to find Crystal Lake. I gave him the name of a farmer there who kept a key to my cabin. I hadn't been up to Crystal Lake for many months. It was a place I used to go to when I wanted to do some fishing. Over the years, I had caught a lot of fish in the lake near the cabin.

'I don't know how to thank you,' Mike Devine said. 'You must think I'm a bad person.'

'Well,' I said, 'you certainly are in lots of trouble. I'm not going to be able to help you much after today. I'm going to Europe soon. But I'll do what I can. Enjoy yourself at Crystal Lake - try to catch some big fish!'

When I got back to my office, I rang my friend Hank. Hank works for the phone company.

'This is Len,' I said. 'Can you give me some help, Hank? Will you check this phone number on your computer? I want to know whose number it is.'

I gave Hank the number Mary Sullivan had given Mike. Then I waited while he checked his computer.

'I've got it,' Hank said, a minute later. 'It's the private office of Senator Theo Z. Democrates. I have an address for the office.'

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16